Dazzling Duds Just The Ticket For Triathlete

Wholesalers in New York's garment district are just starting to question Fred Rzymek about the loudly colored remnants the Largo man has been buying from them in the past few years.

Those immersed in the triathlon and cycling scenes have known for quite some time what Rzymek, an equipment installer for GTE, is doing.

Rzymek, 33, has helped excise the X-rating from triathlon competition -- and built himself a growing business on the side -- by designing and manufacturing specialized athletic apparel out of odds and ends of material. No longer are triathletes forced to strip between the swimming, cycling and running legs of their unusual endurance event.

Rzymek had done his share of stripping. During one triathlon six years ago, he looked around the transition area -- the station where athletes switch from swimsuits to running shorts or cycling togs -- and said to himself, ''God, this is ugly.''

That was when he got the idea for Rzzie's, garments that can be worn during all three phases of a triathlon -- and a lot of other places as well.

Rzzie's (pronounced ''Rizzies'') are obnoxiously loud shorts and bodysuits that triathletes and cyclists flaunt freely on their fannies. Rzymek custom-makes ''tri-shorts'' for men and one-piece ''tri-suits'' for men and women, as well as tights and biking shorts. He also makes matching covers for water bottles and sun visors.

The colorful, skin-tight Lycra-Spandex outfits dry quickly, so the material doesn't chafe the triathlete's skin during the cycling and long- distance running portions of the competition. Having one outfit for all three events also saves the participants precious time because they don't have to stop to change.

Because the skin-clinging Rzzie's also are wind resistant, which makes the competitor more aerodynamic, and have padded seats and crotches, they are equally popular with athletes who spend all their time on their bikes.

The garb's popularity has grown in direct proportion to the popularity of triathlons and competitive cycling. In Florida, for instance, the number of triathlons has grown from two or three annually as recently as six years ago to two or three every weekend.

When Rzymek started manufacturing his apparel five years ago, he worked in his living room and sold 30 to 50 tri-shorts and tri-suits that first year. The added income barely covered the expense of running around the country to participate in triathlons.

Last year, however, he turned out 1,000 pairs of tri-shorts; in the first six months of 1986 he sold twice that many. Now he finds he doesn't have enough time to compete in his favorite sport.

''The key to success is in making and maintaining good contacts,'' Rzymek said of his business. ''There are too many big companies doing what I'm doing, so I've learned to really listen to the people who buy my stuff. That's something the big companies aren't doing.''

Rzymek now employs six full-time seamstresses supervised by shop foreman Jamie Struthers and Rzymek's wife, Therese. He has 51 accounts in Florida and 33 accounts outside the state, making him the largest independent manufacturer of triathlon wear in the state and one of a handful of small-time operators being scrutinized by the nation's large sportswear manufacturers.

''People come in asking for Rzzie's,'' said Pattie Wells, a clothing buyer for Sports Unlimited in Tampa. ''I'd say they make up 25 percent of our triathlon business, but people are wearing them for everything now.''

Rzzie's, which cost $26 to $45 each, have padded cheeks that make rowers happy. And men taking aerobics classes find that they are comfortable and provide support.

Rzymek's outfits are available in Central Florida at Sports Unlimited and Robby's Sporting Goods. They also can be found from Florida to the triathlete's mecca -- California. Word of mouth and catalogs are Rzymek's best form of national advertising. Recently, at the Triathlon Federation Championships in Hilton Head, S.C., a store owner got his first glimpse of Rzzie's and ordered three dozen.

Unlike the large sportswear companies such as Nike, Addidas and Speedo, Rzymek advertises his triathlon apparel without endorsements from winners of the granddaddy of triathlons, the Ironman Triathlon. A number of aspiring ironmen will be wearing Rzzie's, however, when the annual championship gets under way today in Hawaii.

Rzymek still maintains a full-time job as an equipment installer for GTE Communications Systems Corp. in Pinellas County when he isn't out modeling, promoting or performing in his merchandise. Rzymek also runs a series of summer triathlons and the Rzzie's Wildman Triathlon, and he publishes a magazine that has an event schedule and applications for runners and endurance athletes. What is good for the sport, he said, is good for his line of products.